Sunday, June 1, 2008

Where do farts go?

I've often wondered what happens to emissions from the "stink whistle", and if the world in general just stinks more now that it did yesterday, 10, 500, 2000, and a bazillion years ago. Are we all just walking around in fart soup, breathing it all in? And for us athletes, are we filtering even more with our pink lungs because we elevate our breathing during exercise? Well, I found out some info while reading about Facts on Farts:Do fart particles disperse in the air and float around until they hit something and then stick to it?The ultimate fate of fart particles depends on the nature of the particles. Gas molecules mostly mix into the atmosphere, although some may react chemically to form new substances. Aerosolized particles of liquid and solid poop probably do condense on surfaces. Most of these particles are polar (with a positively charged end and a negatively charged end) and are attracted to other polar substances or charged surfaces like a monitor screen. Other fart particles condense on microscopic water droplets in the air if the humidity is very high (as in a bathroom), and some particles go into solution in water. Hmmm, not very promising for future generations. I'm sure lots of the gasses and particles (seriously? GROSS!) disintegrate or break down into smaller, simpler chemical compounds. But still, in the presence of a butt alarm, you gotta wonder about what's floating around.Have a great weekend, and go easy on the beans, Marcy.

Somehow I knew this post would be dedicated to Marcy. I wish you could have seen my face while reading this. You would have been so happy. Seriousy, I just thought of all the nasty farts at the gym... Blech....